Miracle Fruit -- Myth Confirmed

The other day, I mentioned how I have been juicing fruits and vegetables for the health benefits and the increased energy levels (although not so much in the past couple of weeks since I've been stressed and busy with my house rental situation).  Last summer, when I really started getting into juicing, I mentioned my newly found interest to a buddy of mine, Brian.  Very coincidentally, this guy is not only a big-time juicer, he is also the president of our county's "Rare Fruit Council."  What is this, Mayberry?

So on top of being a successful Electrical Engineer and a devoted Christian husband and father of four, Brian is like the walking almanac of all local plant life, their growth characteristics, and nutritional benefits.  He has a yard full of fruit producing plants, including banana, pineapple, mango, herbs, pomegranate, and a variety of citrus.  And somehow, he manages to avoid the wrath and scrutiny of our very picky, power-abusing-because-I-have-no-life HOA police.  This guy has more energy than anyone I have ever met (Of course he must, in order to keep up with his large family and all of his hobbies and clubs).  I'm not sure if he has always been this energized, or if it's really working.... You know... "wheezin' the ju-uice."

Anyway, one night, our family was having dinner at their house.  Yes, it was 11 hyper people in a single family dwelling... Loud and lots of fun.  After dinner, while we were all chatting when Brian pops out a little baggie of the Miracle Fruit.  Ever heard of it?  Me neither.  Yeah, well, it's really not a fruit.  It's actually more of a berry, but very full of Miracle.  These things are apparently pretty rare, and about $60 to buy a small Miracle Fruit-producing tree; unless you're a friend of Brian, who can pick them up for $20 and who is very generous with his personal stash.

Miracle Fruit


Without a proper introduction, Brian announces, "I want you to try a little experiment."  He also had a bunch of fresh limes from his neighbor's tree, sliced up into slivered semi-circles.  "Bite into one of these lime pieces."  I complied.  Ok, very sour, squinched up face -- no real surprise.

"Now..." he continued, "Eat one of these berries.  Be careful, they have a hard little seed in the middle; but what you want to do is chew off all the "meat" of the berry, spit out the seed, and then smear the rest all around in your mouth -- all over and around your tongue and the inner walls of your mouth -- for about a 60 seconds."  Again, I conformed.  It was curiosity, not peer pressure, really, it was.

"And now another bite of lime."  At this point, I was looking around for the Tequila, about to put on the brakes because I thought I was being lured into some drinking ritual....  And then....

Bliss!  It was the weirdest, most bizarre thing.  It was like someone had shoved the sweetest lime-flavored candy in my mouth.  I thought my senses were deceiving me.  How could something so sour and tangy only a minute ago, now taste like a juicy, sugar-swirled key lime pie.  And that's where it gets the name "Miracle Fruit."  We moved on to grapefruit, lemons, and anything else we could find that was sour -- The more sour of an item, the sweeter it was.  And the effects from one berry lasted for about an hour.  Amazing!

The exact cause of this phenomenon is unknown, there is some kind of chemical reaction according to Wikipedia, "One hypothesis is that miraculin works by distorting the shape of sweetness receptors so that they become responsive to acids, instead of sugar and other sweet things."

I'm wondering why we haven't heard more about this berry being used as a sugar substitute.  Apparently, this berry is being used by some diabetics that can't say no to their sweet tooth.  Nifty.

So I better wrap this up since I'm on my 10th paragraph and I'm feeling pretty hypocritical that I just advised my wife, Stacy, last night, that shorter blog posts are "better."  But at least they're short paragraphs.....

Oh, but before I go, I wanted to share with you that I finished my Sub-Irrigated Planter tonight!  All I need is some potting soil and some fertilizer and I will be ready to plant my okra!  I know, I'm so excited, too.  I'll keep you posted on the progress of the okra growage.  Here are some pics... Not the best quality because it was poor lighting.... But what do you think?

The aeration screen and supports (Top View)

The aeration screen and supports (Bottom View)

SIP with lid off -- Ready for planting!!



SIP with lid on -- Holes will be cut for plants to grow through


Ok, bye, for now.